York Town Square

This is the house of J.W. Gitt, Gazette and Daily owner, as it appeared in 1962. Notice the putting green used by Gitt, a golfing enthusiast. The estate now houses the by-appointment Gitt Memorial Library. Mary Allienne Hamilton will sign copies of Rising from the Wilderness, her biography of Gitt from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the York County Heritage Trust, 250 E. Market St., York. This is one of several upcoming opportunities in Central Pennsylvania for those who love history. Background posts: York cartoonist’s work helps celebrate peace activism and Why is Hanover Country Club in Abbottstown.

History enthusiasts should put these opportunities to see, hear and experience local history in the upcoming months:

– The exhibit “Visions of the Susquehanna: 250 Years of the Susquehanna: 250 Years of Paintings by American Masters” will run through Feb. 20 at York College. Curator and artist Rob Evans of York County has assembled this exhibit, which displays must-see paintings of the Susquehanna through the centuries.
– A revamped York Civil War Round Table is meeting at 7 p.m., every third Wednesday, at the York County Heritage Trust, www.yorkheritage.org. Upcoming speakers are Andy Martin, speaking on the changing views of Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 20; Dick Simpson on “Gettysburg, the Civil War Stone and Bronze That Never Ends, a study of battlefield monuments. Bloggers Scott Mingus, Scott Butcher and I will be part of a panel on York County in the Civil War on Wednesday, June 25. Part of that discussion is slated to deal with York’s surrender to the Confederates.
– Richard Konkel will describe the “Tribes of York County,” on March 2 at the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society meeting. The York attorney will discuss the various ethnic groups that have settled in the county.
– Steve McKee, a York Catholic graduate and copy editor for the Wall Street Journal, is signing copies of his new book “My Father’s Heart, A Son’s Journey” at 7 p.m., March 13, at Borders on Whiteford Road. Among many other things, the author writes about growing up in the York area in the 1960s. The book is more than a memoir about heart disease. It explores the complex relationship between father and son and the painful aftermath of a loved one’s death.
— Family Heritage Day is set from noon-4 p.m., March 9, at the State Museum, Third and North streets, Harrisburg. Attendees will have an opportunity to talk to experts from the State Archives about researching and preserving the history of their family and community. “Get answers to your questions regarding professional conservation and research of your historical documents and photographs, preserving historic homes, and more,” a release states.

– Walking clock: It’s three feet wide, 24 feet long, and nine feet tall and uses shoes to tell time. The Walking Clock is coming to Columbia’s National Watch and Clock Museum on March 1 as part of the new Stanley Clockworks Exhibit, according to a museum press release. The Walking Clock’s pendulum is a wheel with 12 shoes that walk forward and backward on a boardwalk to tell time.The Walking Clock is just one among several whimsical clocks included in the collection. Others: the 20 foot-long Bottle Clock that uses 300 bottles to keep time; the Timber Frame Clock that uses 4 x 4 oak timber, an old school bell, and stones; and the Train Clock that looks like the front of a vintage train. The National Watch and Clock Museum has almost 12,000 timepieces in its collection. The special exhibit runs through Sept. 30.